Nettle-Club
蕁麻俱樂部
2021
Statement:
NETTLE-CLUB - WILD AND SAFE
Can the emporium way in Northampton be reimagined as a participatory alternative to exclusive urban developments?
Inspired by self-organised community groups in Northampton who prior to Covid were transforming public spaces around the city centre into community-focused events, a new speculative community centre emerges in Emporium way, providing spaces for growing, manufacturing and consuming nettle based products. A series of tea pavilions encourage residents to meet, discuss and brainstorm ideas for community events, whilst a surrounding wild landscape of stinging nettles provides the opportunity for all year round community project funding.
Design strategy:
1. Concept Collage - The concept collage is to capture the idea for a co-making public space and nettle allotment cafe. It integrates different ages of people with different kinds of skill sets to work with each other and share experiences. Also, setting up permanent events on site and using the allotment as a tool to create year-round funding for the project.
2. Risk vs Safety - This model captures the essence of my project by creating a distinctive object that brings together the most important elements from my site, story and proposition. The sectional model through one of my Pavillion structures, explores the spatial tension between risk and safety, asking the user to make a cup of nettle tea whilst also extracting it from the object to drink without stinging themselves.
3. Three Levels of Design - The design has three different levels, the crafting area and the area to grow nettles is located at the lower level. Ground level is a place where people can drink nettle tea and socialise within the pavilions or along the many winding routes. At the upper level, there are more areas for nettle growing and public toilets to collect urine, which is used as a feeder for the nettles.
4. Display area and front desk - At the front desk, you can purchase your nettle tea and a variety of nettle products, as well as sell your own homegrown nettles to the cafe, which will be used in the production of nettle products. When ordering nettle tea the public can select a coloured cup that relates to their skills. This will help foster social discussion and the formation of smaller social circles within the nettle cafe.
5. Pavilions with two different social activities - The pavilions are designed for two different types of social activities. Formal social activities centred around learning transform the pavilions into classrooms for brainstorming and lessons. Informal social activities allow users to congregate around the fire pit for intimate discussions and tea-drinking rituals.
6. Making area and nettles furniture - The lower ground floor is used for making and assembling furniture. This furniture, built from materials created from nettles are then used along the ground floor walkways by the public.
7. Allotment and Toilet - Nettles are mostly grown on the rooftop and some are located at the lower ground floor. The public toilets are also placed on the roof and treated as a place to collect urine, which is then transformed into fertilizer for growing nettle.